Cold Days Are Better Spent Together
by Allister Crow
Summary: It's one of the coldest nights in the history of Beacon, there's frost on every window and most students are locked up in doors. However, the library does seem to be a popular place for those without a working heater to shack up and try to escape the coldness of the winter.
1. Chapter I

**_Hey guys, it's been a while hasn't it? I've actually been sharpening up on my writing skills over the past little while and I think I'm finally ready to write a multi-chapter story. I don't think it'll be super long as I don't quite have the determination to do that yet, but I'll try my best to make it enjoyable. I took some of your advice on pacing and the likes into consideration, so here you go. I hope you all enjoy! :)_**

It was a cold day at Beacon, as they usually were in the dead of winter. This winter, however, was one of the coldest Beacon has had in many years. Windows were frosted over and the outside looked as if someone had plastered a cold blue filter all over it, it was extremely unpleasant to say the least.

"The trash is full." Jaune muttered.

His words caused the eyes of the rest of his team, even Ren, to look up at him with expectant glances.

"Don't look at me, I took it out yesterday!" He defended himself.

They continued staring, Jaune groaned with a sigh of defeat as he picked up the bag from the trash can.

"I'll be right back then." He sighed, tying the bag up and leaving the room.

He shivered as he left the building, the cold breeze pulling at his fingertips. He huffed a frosty breath as he gripped the bag tighter, making his way toward the dumpster slowly but surely. When he finally made it, he noticed another person approaching the dumpster. Her face was hidden behind a scarf, but the long black hair and bow made him sure it was Blake, the cat-faunus.

"You get forced out here too?" Jaune asked, tossing the heavy bag into the trash.

Blake's amber eyes glanced at him, her bow twitching slightly. She sighed and chucked the trash into the dumpster.

"My team was fighting over it, I didn't want to hear them yelling." She pulled the scarf down to speak.

"Ah, I see..." He nodded with a pleasant grin. "Well it was nice seeing you I guess?"

"Mhmm..." She hummed loosely before turning to walk away.

Jaune shrugged, shivering as another cold chill blew past him. With a rigid breath, he began what felt like the long journey back to his dorm. He rubbed his trembling hands together, breathing into them in an attempt to warm them on his way back, but his efforts didn't do much to help him. Thankfully, he made it back to the building without getting frostbite throughout his body. He walked up the two flights of stairs and entered his dorm on the right, breathing in the nice heated air as he stepped in.

"I hate you guys." He spoke with a grunt, trying to warm up his hands.

"Sorry not sorry." Nora winked.

"Nora..." Ren glared at her sternly. "Thank you, Jaune."

The blonde boy nodded with a thankful smile himself, hanging his jacket up on the coat rack and sitting down on the couch. Then there was a gentle knock at the door and Jaune, being the most available, opened the door.

"Hey Jaune." Yang stood in the doorway. "I was gonna ask Pyrrha something."

"Mm..." He hummed, turning his gaze behind him. "Pyrrha! Yang needs you!"

The sound of shuffling could be heard from around the corner as Pyrrha came quickly around with a nervous smile. Yang gave her an odd look but shrugged nonetheless.

"Hey Pyr!" She smiled, scratching the back of her head. "I was hoping you could lend us some shampoo, we ran out today."

"Give me a moment." She turned back around the corner.

It took a few moments for her to come back, but she did so with a spare bottle of shampoo in her hands.

"Use it wisely." Pyrrha nodded.

"Thank you so much!" Yang beamed.

"Any time Yang." She gave her a thumbs up. "Is that all?"

She hummed in affirmation and said goodbye before turning to leave. Pyrrha closed the door and Jaune grabbed his bag. He dumped its contents onto his bed before forcefully stuffing a blanket inside.

"I'm headed to the library." He threw his coat on and slung the backpack around his shoulders.

"With a blanket?" Nora raised an eyebrow, pulling her headphones off one ear.

"You never know." He shrugged without much of a care.

"I wish you luck." Pyrrha shivered at the thought of the cold.

Jaune nodded and headed on his way.

* * *

"It's so cold." Ruby complained, pulling a blanket over herself.

Weiss' fingers shivered as she focused on studying, her pencil lead breaking underneath the weight of her hands. She grit her teeth and scowled in frustration. Her gaze turned to Blake, who was sitting against the wall reading her book, frost escaping her breath.

"How are you not bothered by the cold?" She lifted a brow. "It's below zero in here thanks to the broken heater!"

"It does bother me." She responded plainly, turning a page in her book. "There's nothing we can do about it so we're just gonna have to sit it out."

Weiss grumbled to herself, but she understood, sharpening her pencil and beginning to write once more. There was a long moment of silence before the door opened suddenly, and Yang stepped in.

"I'm back! And I got shampoo!" She beamed. "Anyone else want to shower before me, I'm probably gonna be in there a while."

"I showered already." Blake flipped another page.

"I could use a shower." Weiss nodded. "I won't be long."

Yang nodded and handed her the shampoo.

"Thank you." Weiss smiled as she took it.

She entered the bathroom and shut the door behind her, soon after the sound of the shower running and quiet humming could be heard. Yang looked up to Ruby, who was now laying in bed fast asleep. She then turned back to black and sat next to her.

"Whatcha reading?" Yang asked, leaning closer.

"Ninjas of Love." She responded clearly.

"Oh, your 'definitely not a porno' book?" She couldn't help but tease the poor faunus.

"It's a good book." She ignored Yang's remark, turning another page.

"Sure." She patted her shoulder. "What's it about?"

Blake slid her bookmark into her page and shut the book with a sigh, setting it on her bed.

"And risk being teased by you for the next week?" She glanced at Yang. "Not a chance."

Yang smirked and leaned back into the wall.

"I'm gonna head to the library." Blake stood up.

As she began to leave, Yang grabbed her wrist. She turned back to face the blonde with a lifted eyebrow.

"I didn't upset you did I?" She asked softer than usual, gazing to the floor.

It wasn't common that Yang would show her softer side, Blake had acknowledged this quite some time ago. So in returned she rolled her eyes and offered one of her rare and gentle smiles.

"No Yang, I'm used to you." She slid her hand from the girl's wrists. "I'm just hoping it might be warmer in there."

Yang nodded with a smile in return as Blake left the room, shutting the door quietly behind her.


	2. Chapter II

**_Hello! Not much to say here, I did however forget to mention an important detail. CRITICISM. I need it if I hope to improve, so please, tell me what you like, and what you think needs to be fixed! I hope you enjoy this next chapter! :)_**

Jaune watched as his frosty breath dissipated into the air as fast as it escaped his lips. He sped up his pace to a brisk walk, trying to cover ground as quick as possible without running. He readjusted his bag and hitched it back into position over his shoulders, his fingers shivering in the cold. He couldn't help a faint smile creep onto his features as the main building came into sight, from there, the trip to the library would be all indoors, the wonderfully heated indoors. Or so he thought. That expectation was quickly crushed as a cold chill ran through his body upon entry of the doors. He shivered, mumbling a curse under his breath as he continued to the library. He was happy he packed a blanket now, for it may not have been so warm after all. Once again he was wrong as his new expectation was turned on it's head. When Jaune entered the library, he nearly squealed in delight as a warm gust of air lifted both his temperature and his spirits. Gone was the nagging worry of getting frostbite, but something was still off.

"Hm?" Jaune looked around, spotting more than a few people in the building, some sleeping, others chatting.

This was definitely wrong, a lot more people were in the library than usual... Hell, the place looked like some sort of refuge camp, as everywhere he looked there were more people. Still, the place seemed to remain relatively quiet, only light chatter taking place among certain individuals. Jaune raised an eyebrow in confusion, surely there was someone he would recognize that he could ask about this whole situation.

"Aha!" His eyes locked onto Coco Adele, who was sat against the far wall, chatting with Velvet, the rabbit faunus.

"Excuse me." He bumped in, receiving an impatient look from Coco. "What's going on, why are so many people here?"

Her face of impatience quickly changed to one of question.

"Have you not heard?" Her eyes shrunk behind tinted sunglasses. Jaune, still clueless of the situation, just shrugged. "The heaters in a good amount of the student dorms are breaking, and with it being so cold, the library seems to be the only place to escape a frostbitten death."

"I see..." He scratched his chin for a moment.

"Is your heater not broken?"

"Nope." He shrugged once more.

"Then why are you here?" She asked as if she was interrogating him.

"Honestly I just needed some time away from my team." He chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Don't get me wrong, they're great people but... The cold has been doing a number on all of us, and it's diminished their energy so they kinda just push everything on me."

Coco shook her head with a sigh, pulling her hands from her pockets. Velvet perked an eyebrow and opened her mouth to speak.

"That's not right." She stated her mind, leaning back in her chair. "A team is a team, it's up to everyone to do their share, even in times like these."

"It's alright." He defended, shaking his hands in dismissal of the topic. "I'll let you two get back to your conversation now, thank you and sorry for interrupting."

"You're fine." Coco gave him a thumbs up and waved him off.

Jaune waved and walked away from them, rolling his shoulders back with a sigh. He thumbed through his hair and leaned up against a wall in the outskirts of the library, away from the dull commotion of the students piled closer to the center. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting his mind unwind.

The brief span of his thought time was interrupted as something hit his head. His eyes opened and he raised an eyebrow.

"S-sorry." A hesitant sounding voice apologized.

Jaune looked to his side and picked up the book titled 'Ninjas of Love' that had just fallen on him. He heard a nervous mumble from the person who had just dropped it

"Did you drop this?" He looked up to face her, his eyes widened slightly in surprise as he saw just who it was. "Blake?"

"Hey..." She grabbed the book hesitantly. "Thanks for my book back, and sorry for hitting you with it. It slipped out of my hands."

"Don't worry about it." Jaune smiled. "What's it about?"

Blake gripped the book tighter as he asked.

"Hm?" She hummed nervously, as if she didn't heard him, even though she knew full well what he'd just said.

"Your book." He repeated. "What's it about?"

"It's... Well..." She averted her gaze, trying to find some route of escape.

"Woah, no way!" Jaune gasped, nearly shouting. Blake's eyes darted back to him as he eyed a book that laid in her other hand. "Is that Apotheosis!? Man, I love that book!"

"Huh?" She looked down at it, thankful that the subject had been changed. "You've read it?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "A few times actually, it's one of my favorite books. Have you finished it?"

"This isn't my first time reading it." Blake nodded. Her gaze suddenly narrowed on him. "I didn't take you as one to read a whole lot of books."

"Oh I used to love reading." He chuckled nervously. "I still do, but being here at Beacon has cut my free time in half twice. I do still try to read if I can though, I actually own a copy of Apotheosis too, it's in my bag back at my dorm."

"That's... Awesome actually." Suddenly she looked perplexed. "Why do you like the book so much? It's kind of... dark."

"I'm not sure." He shrugged. "I think it's quite realistic, not every story has a happy ending. Rory had powers unlike most anyone else and he still wanted more, he wanted to be a God, it only makes sense that in such a journey he'd lose himself. I guess I like the book so much cause I get experience the viewpoint of a protagonist who isn't the good guy, but doesn't believe what he's doing is wrong."

"Wow." Blake was surprised at his knowledge. She relaxed her posture and sat down next to him. "I'm surprised you're so well knowledged."

"Is that a compliment or an insult?" Jaune chuckled. Blake rolled her eyes and he leaned back against the wall.

Silence continued from then on, Blake opened up Apotheosis and began to read silently from the beginning. This grabbed Jaune's attention and he leaned forward to read along with her. When she finished a page, she'd put her finger on the corner and wait for Jaune's nod of approval to turn it. Though she usually didn't have to wait long, as he seemed to finish up a page at the same time she did.

Hours passed and they found themselves in a much more comfortable position. Sometime between then and now, Jaune found himself leaned up comfortably against the wall with Blake resting comfortably on his chest. However, they were so caught up in reading that it didn't seem to bother either of them. Sooner now rather than later, night fell and they both began to grow tired. Jaune noticed the book getting looser in her hands and he tapped her shoulder to get her attention. She jumped slightly, looking back to face him with heavy eyes.

"We should head back to our dorms." He repositioned himself slightly, making to stand. "It's getting late and I can see you're struggling."

"Y-yeah." She spoke softly, slowly shifting off of him.

They both stood, Blake slid a bookmark into their page before closing it. Jaune followed her out of the library, shivering as the cold once again filled his system.

"Damn." He grumbled. "I almost forgot."

Jaune reached into his pocket and pulled out his scroll, reading the temperature on the screen that read negative thirty-two. It was much colder now that night fell upon them. He looked over to Blake and saw her trembling. With a frown, he reached into his bag and pulled out the blanket he'd packed earlier.

"I knew it would be a good idea to bring this." He smiled, wrapping it around Blake.

She looked down at the blanket then over at Jaune.

"What about you?" She asked.

"What about me?" He lifted an eyebrow, batting away the question.

Blake shook her head, outstretching an arm around him and wrapping him in the blanket.

"The last thing I need is for you to have to get your toes cut off due to hypothermia." She chastised him.

"T-thank you." He stammered, averting his gaze from her for a brief moment.

From there on, they remained mostly silent, but shared some passing thoughts that came by. It remained like that until they reached the dorms. They entered the building and headed up the stairs, stopping in front of their doors. Jaune stole the blanket back and faced her with a smile.

"Thank you for tonight." She smiled.

She smiled. Blake Belladonna just smiled, and it was beautiful. Jaune wasn't sure the last time he saw her smile, in fact, he wasn't quite sure if he'd **ever** seen her smile. He had to swallow a sudden lump in his throat to be able to speak once more.

_Be confident._ He composed himself, looking her in the eyes.

"Of course." He smiled. "I enjoyed your company."

"Me too, it was nice to unwind today, and a pleasant surprise to find out you enjoyed reading as much as I do." She nudged his shoulder. "Night, Jaune. See you in class tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you." He nodded and they headed into their respective rooms.

* * *

"Where have you been!?" Weiss stood up from her table and shouted as Blake closed the door behind her.

"I told Yang I was headed to the library..." Blake lifted an eyebrow, wondering why the girl was so upset.

"You had us worried sick!"

"Weiss, calm down." Yang spoke up, coming around the corner. "Blake, it's good to see you're okay."

The blonde walked up and hugged her. Blake froze, but returned the embrace nonetheless.

"I told you I was headed to the library." She whispered.

"I know, I know, I just worry sometimes." She admitted. "Why were you gone so long?"

"O-oh, uh..." She stammered, a slight pink rising to her cheeks. "I got distracted."

"Were you reading your ninja erotica?" Yang asked with a smirk, crossing her arms expectantly.

"No Yang." Blake dismissed the topic. "I was not reading my 'ninja erotica' thank you very much."

"Hmph, fine." She pouted. "Come on, let's get some sleep."

"Wait a second." Blake paused. "Why is it warm in here? The heater's broken."

"Oh, right. Weiss has got fire dust warming up the room right now." She nodded.

"Smart." Blake agreed, crawling into bed. "Thanks, Weiss."

The white haired girl nodded before turning back to her work.

"You should head to bed soon too, be like Ruby." Yang pointed to the passed out girl on the unstable bunk.

"I appreciate that, but I'm busy." Weiss nodded.

"Suit yourself." Blake got comfortable and shut her eyes. "Night Yang."

"Night Blake." She spoke quietly.

* * *

**_Thanks so much for reading this far! I'd like to know if any of this felt out of character at all and if so why. I hope you enjoyed and that you will enjoy what's to come. Toodles :)_**


	3. Chapter III

**So funny story, I wrote this chapter (like 3000 words) and then decided I wasn't happy with it. That's the process of being a writer I guess haha. Well, anyways, I do hope you enjoy this chapter and as always leave feedback on what you liked and didn't like. I've also decided to change the course of the story a little bit from what I originally had planned so let's hope it all works out. Cheers! ^.^**

Jaune took a deep and relaxed breath as his eyes fluttered open. He shivered as a cold chill ran down his spine. Was the heater broken? He sure hoped it wasn't, but he was far too tired to check. He looked out the window and saw that it was still dark out. What time was it? He pulled out his scroll, the obnoxious blue light shining in his eyes as he turned it on, causing him to squint.

_4:32 AM. _Read the time on the scroll.

He let out an exasperated sigh and let his hands fall beside him, his scroll siding lazily out of his hands and onto the bed. It turned itself off after a few moments and Jaune shut his eyes, trying to fall back asleep. He groaned into his pillow as a few minutes passed and he made no progress in falling asleep. So he sat up instead, letting his eyes wander around the room. The rest of his team was asleep semi-comfortably, except for Nora who was twisting and turning in bed, but still seemingly asleep. He stood up and stretched out, hoping that his struggles would go away with a nice glass of orange juice. So he walked over to the fridge and poured himself a cup, downing it in a few seconds after. Since he was up now, he walked into the living room and checked the vents on the floor. No heat was coming through them, and the thermostat on the wall was off. It didn't turn on when he tried.

"Damnit." He growled under his breath.

He'd have to go out into Vale later and get a temporary heater, but that was a problem for later in the day. His attention was grabbed by Nora's twisting and turning once more, but this time she looked much more scared, and quiet whimpers could be heard from her. He had to do something, but he wasn't sure whether to wake her or not. She let out a much louder and pained whimper, and before he could even react, Ren shot up out of bed. He turned to Nora, breathing a sigh of relief when he realized she wasn't in danger.

"I think she's having a nightmare." Jaune spoke suddenly, nearly startling Ren, who turned to face him, then fixed his gaze to Nora who was shifting around still. "Should you wake her?"

Ren shook his head in dismissal and stood up out of bed, laying down in her bed behind her and wrapping his arms around her pale form.

"Shhh..." He whispered in her ear, and she began to calm. "It's alright Nora, calm down."

Still asleep, her motions slowed to a still and she began to sleep peacefully once more, her body shifting closer to his.

_Wow. _Jaune thought to himself, of course she would calm at his presence, they'd spent nearly their whole lives together, but it didn't stop the display from being any less mesmerizing.

"The heater's broken." Jaune pointed out.

"I noticed." He nodded briskly.

Jaune nodded in return and laid back down, after a few minutes Ren had fallen back asleep under the covers beside Nora, yet Jaune had no luck in doing such. Thirty or so minutes passed and he gave up on his pipe dream of sleep. So he stood up and threw on some black jeans and a beanie over his thick winter coat, not ready to underestimate the cold again, and then left the dorm. When he made it outside he threw his hood over himself and leaned up against the wall. He took a breath, watching the frost escape his lips and spiral up into the night sky before disappearing in the air. He chuckled to himself softly and pushed off the wall to stand up once more, taking a glance around. Beacon really was a beautiful place, especially in the dark, the outside was littered with all sorts of life and the architecture was on a whole new level. His attention was taken by a sniffle in the distance, and he lifted an eyebrow.

_Is someone else out here? _He thought to himself. _At this time of morning? _

He walked over and turned the corner where he heard the sound, his eyed widening at the sight that beheld him.

"Blake?" He spoke softly, even so, she nearly jumped out of her skin as she turned to face him, her skin pale beneath the cold atmosphere. "What are you doing out here?"

"I could ask you the same." She looked to the floor.

Jaune approached her, hastily removing his jacket, his skin still somewhat protected from the cold by the comfortable sweater he wore underneath. He handed her the jacket, which she took hesitantly.

"Thank you." Blake slipped into it, reveling in the warmth the over-sized jacket brought her.

"Why are you out here?" Jaune asked again, raising his voice in concern. "Are you trying to get hypothermia?"

"I needed air." She admitted, averting her gaze from him.

"So you came out here without a jacket, or a sweater, at the very least a blanket!?" If he could hear himself right now, he'd think he sounded just like his mother.

"I underestimated the cold." She looked back at him with dark and baggy eyes, and Jaune's demeanor changed from stern to concerned in a near instant.

"Did you get any sleep?" He asked in a soft voice, the worry present in his tone.

"Yes, but not much, I woke up two hours ago or so." She shook her head, confirming his growing suspicion. "Why are you out here?"

"For the same reason as you." He admitted. "I only woke up about forty-five minutes ago, but I wasn't able to get back to sleep so I threw on **a jacket **and came out here." He put special emphasis on that word, calling back to the fact that he had walked out here to see her inadequately dressed for temperatures as daunting as they were now.

"I see." She nodded in understanding. "Did you get the notification about classes on your scroll?"

"No?" He lifted an eyebrow. "What happened?"

"Classes have been cancelled." She stated matter-of-factly. "The professors and the students are all too sick to go anywhere or do much of anything, so winter break is coming a week early."

"Oh, wow." Jaune looked surprised for a moment, then shrugged. "Well I guess I get to sleep in now, if I can fall asleep that is." He chuckled.

"No plans for today?" Blake asked.

"Well, I am probably gonna head into Vale later today to grab a temporary heater for our room, the one that's installed just stopped working and we'll all freeze half to death if nothing is done about it. Did you have plans?" He asked, lifting a curious eyebrow.

"Not for me no, but it would be smart to grab a heater." She pondered for a moment before looking back towards him. "Actually, would you mind if I tagged along?"

"Not at all." He nodded, slightly surprised by her sudden request. "What time is good for you?"

"Well, I'm hoping to catch a little bit more sleep so... How's eleven sound?" She lifted an eyebrow in his direction.

"That sounds just fine to me, so it's a date then?" He teased her, leaning in with a smirk.

"Shut up." Blake nudged him away playfully with a light smile. "We should head back, I don't think that sweater's gonna protect you from the cold for long."

Jaune nodded and followed her back to the dorms, they went up the stairs and down the hallway, once again finding themselves facing each other outside the doors to their dorms.

"Get some rest alright?" He tapped her shoulder. "Should I come get you at eleven or are you gonna come to me?"

"I'll come to your dorm." She nodded and turned to leave, she looked behind her shoulder to face him and she smiled. "I'll see you then."

Jaune waved her off with a smile and watched as she retreated back into her dorm, shutting the door behind her. He then entered his own room, shutting the door and flopping down on his bed.

_She really has to stop smiling at me like that. _He groaned internally, feeling his heart beat a few paces faster than usual.

He shut his eyes and felt himself drifting much faster than he had been before. He smiled to himself and, finally, fell asleep once more.

**And that wraps up this chapter! I'm much more happy with this one's end product than the way it turned it before. It was WAY different too. This story is definitely gonna end up much longer than I intended, not sure how long but it's got a ways to go as I have much more planned. This is a really fun experience for me and I hope you're enjoying it as much as I am. Feedback would be much appreciated so I know what to do in the upcoming chapters! Also, if you have any suggestions for fun little one-shots I can write while working at this I'd be more than happy to take some of them, so fire away! That's all I've got for you tonight (or whatever time it is for you when you're reading this), again, I hope you enjoyed! Allister Crow signing out for now, catch you later! :1**


	4. Chapter IV

**_Why hello there. Glad you could make it. Grab a drink, sit down, and enjoy!_**

Blake stretched up as she awoke, shifting around to lean up against the wall. She gathered Jaune's jacket closer to her form, reveling in the warmth it provided. She was happy he'd let her borrow it for the time being. She'd have to grab one while she was down in Vale. She stood up and breathed deeply, the cold tickling the tips of her fingers that just barely protruded from the thick coat she wore.

Everyone else was still asleep, so Blake took the opportunity to get cleaned up before it was a rampage to get in the showers. She stepped in the bathroom and took a shower, letting the thoughts in the back of her mind run free like the water on her skin. She'd gotten surprisingly close to Jaune in the last little while, and quite honestly, she didn't mind the change. He was a nice guy, genuine in every way, but as blind as a bat sometimes. She smiled to herself and stepped out of the shower, redressing herself as she threw the coat back on.

"Hey kit-kat." A now awake Yang greeted her as she stepped out of the bathroom.

_Great. _Blake sighed internally.

Don't her wrong, she loved Yang, but this jacket made her a prime target for teasing, and she would quite frankly like to avoid that. When she looked at the blonde though, she could see the hints of a devious smile spreading across her face.

"So uh... Who's coat is that?" She lifted an eyebrow, an expectant glare in her eyes. "It's way too big to be yours."

Blake froze up for a moment, trying to find a proper excuse for why she was wearing a **mans** jacket. Then she realized the nature of the person the jacket in question belonged to and that telling her the truth might shut her up anyway.

"It's Jaune's jacket." She shrugged it off.

Well, she was certainly right, Yang definitely shut up pretty quickly.

"It's Jaune's?" She seemed to need confirmation. Blake nodded. "Are you two-"

"**No.**" Blake cut her off right there. "He was just looking out for me."

"You sure about that?" She smirked once more in a last ditch effort to get a reaction out of the faunus.

"Mhm." She hummed, setting a pot of water on the stove to boil.

"You're no fun." Yang pouted. "Can you make me some coffee while you're at it?"

"Fine." She nodded.

Yang left her to work in silence, occupying her mind with other time killers. A few minutes passed and Blake walked out of the kitchen with two mugs in hand, setting them down on the windowsill.

"The others are still asleep?" She looked around to see Ruby and Weiss passed out in bed. At least the latter was actually in bed this time and not at her desk.

"Yeah. Weiss was up all night reading her textbooks. I honestly think it's habitual at this point. We don't have classes for a month." She then glanced over to Ruby with a frown. "I'm not sure what's up with her... I'm worried. She's been sleeping both day and night away."

"She'll be alright." Blake placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "She's likely just lethargic cause the cold."

"Yeah." Yang nodded, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm her mind.

Blake could see she was still struggling, so she tried to ease her nerves by wrapping her in a gentle hug. Yang's body stiffen for a moment, like due to surprise, but she sunk into her with a warm smile.

"She's gonna be fine, Yang. Just give her some time to adjust." She patted her back.

"Thank you." She pulled away from the hug slowly. "I needed that."

"Of course." Blake smiled gently. "I'm always here for you."

Blake pulled out her scroll and checked the time.

_11:03 AM. _The glowing screen read.

"Ah sorry, I've got to get going now." She said to Yang, putting her scroll back in her pocket.

"Hm?" Yang lifted an eyebrow. "Where are you headed?"

"Out into Vale with Jaune to get a heater." Blake hadn't meant to let slip who she was going with, but it was too late now.

"You sure you two aren't dating?" Yang asked, more of a genuine question than a snide remark this time around.

"We aren't dating, Yang. Our plans just happened to line up." Blake rolled her eyes.

"Would you want to?" She smirked now, tapping her foot with crossed arms and a lifted eyebrow.

"Hm?" Blake hummed in question.

"Date Jaune." She clarified, awaiting her response.

Much to Blake's own dismay, a level of heat rose to her cheeks, but she kept eye contact and took a breath.

"I don't know." She shrugged it off as best she could. "I don't know him well enough to make that kind of judgement."

"Fair." Yang uncrossed her arms. "You should probably get going, wouldn't want keepyour boyfriend waiting."

"Sometimes I despise you." Blake averted her gaze.

"You know you love me." Yang smiled.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, and Yang went to answer. She smirked when she opened the door.

"Hey Jaune." Yang greeted him and he waved. "You here for your girlfriend?"

"U-uh..." He became flustered and averted his gaze to the floor. "S-she's not..."

"Relax, I'm only teasing you." She turned to where Blake was standing to find she was gone. "She's probably finishing up with her hair or something."

Yang stepped out of the way, letting Jaune in. He nodded in thanks, sitting down on the chair by Weiss' desk. He pulled out his scroll and began to fiddle with it while waiting for Blake.

* * *

Blake put her hands on the counter, staring st herself in the mirror.

_It's not a date. _She had to tell herself.

_But would you want it to be? _Suddenly Yang's words were ringing in her head, and she scowled to herself.

"Damnit." She ran her fingers through her hair, tying her bow in place as she made sure her locks were neatly tucked back so it wouldn't get in the way while she was walking. "I've only known him for like a day."

But that wasn't true, she'd known him for almost three years now. She'd just never taken the time to truly try and connect with him. He was a good guy, and she was admittedly much more comfortable in his presence than most other people. Not to mention he shared plenty of hobbies with her and had his own pass times as well.

_I'm__ selfish, he's not. _Those words rattled in her head and she clenched her fists.

_I'm such a coward. _Her fist threatened to slam the table, but she cooled her nerves.

Blake stepped out of the bathroom, loosening her shoulders and rolling her neck.

"There you are." Jaune's voice, though calm, nearly made her jump out of her skin.

"Sorry I took so long." She apologized, looking at her scroll which read _11:27 AM. _She frowned and mentally berated herself for keeping him waiting.

"It's alright." He stood up, stretching his arms, then blushed slightly as he made eye contact with her.

He had to admit it, Blake looked **really** pretty. She was wearing black boots and leggings and a thin white sweater over what appeared to be a black shirt. Not to mention the majority of her hair was tied back in a ponytail, but two locks were left to flow down either side of her face.

"You look nice..." Jaune complimented her, shaking off the embarrassment.

"You clean up well yourself." She admitted, eyeing his form up and down for a moment.

Jaune wore a long-sleeved thick black shirt over dark faded blue jeans paired with black and red converse. His hair was almost shoulder-length now, and he had it combed back slightly so it wouldn't interfere with his eyesight. Despite that, it still retained its wild feel it normally had.

"So are you two just gonna keep staring at each other?" Yang broke the silence.

Jaune and Blake suddenly tensed up slightly, blushing as they averted their gaze from each other. Meanwhile, Yang applauded herself for her success.

"W-well." He cleared his throat. "Are you ready to get going?"

"Yeah." She nodded quickly, already making to leave the room. "Let's go."

They awkwardly left the room and Yang shut the door behind them, smiling to herself.

"They're surprisingly cute together." Ruby sat up, rubbing her eyes.

Yang turned around to face her sister, surprised the girl was awake.

"How long have you been up?" Yang asked.

"Not long." She shivered as she jumped out of bed. "I'm tired..."

"Are you gonna go back to sleep?" The blonde asked with concern.

"I don't know yet." Ruby stretched, groaning in pain as her joints popped.

Before she could go anywhere, Yang squeezed her in a tight hug.

"I'm happy to see you up." She whispered.

"Yeah..." Ruby gently hugged back, her fingers trembling. "I think I'm getting really sick."

Yang frowned, pulling away.

"I'll be back. Don't go anywhere." Yang told her before leaving the room.

Ruby lifted an eyebrow but didn't outwardly question it. She sat down and waited tiredly, nearly drifting off in her chair.

* * *

Ren sat down in the couch, flipping through a cookbook, looking for new recipes to try out. His attention was grabbed by a sudden knocking at the door. He stood up and answered.

"Just the person I was looking for." A blonde woman smiled.

"Yang." He greeted, giving her a gentle nod.

"I have a favour to ask of you." She admitted, looking him in the eyes, he lifted an eyebrow slightly. "Ruby seems to be getting really sick and I was wondering if you could help me cook something for her that could help her feel a little better."

"Of course." Ren nodded. "A moment please."

Yang nodded and Ren retreated back into his room, returning soon with a bag over his shoulder.

"Thank you." Yang smiled.

* * *

It wasn't long before Yang returned. Ruby looked up wearily at her, her eyes widening slightly as another man walked in behind her.

"Ren?" She raised her voice in question, confused as to why he was here.

"Ren's gonna cook something to eat for you, he knows what'll help you recover." Yang patted his shoulder.

He nodded silently with a smile and headed into the kitchen, pulling the bag of his own ingredients of his shoulder and setting them down on the table.

"Thank you." Ruby smiled weakly at the both of them, sitting down at the kitchen table.

She received a nod from them both and began to twiddle her thumbs, letting her thoughts consume her while the other two cooked.

**_A little bit of a longer chapter. I wanted to focus a little bit on aspects of the other characters. Don't fret as next chapter will, if it wasn't obvious, have more Jaune/Blake time. As always, leave some feedback and don't forget to give me a favorite and a follow if you want to see more! Love you guys and thank you so much for all the support. I'll see you next time around. :1_**


	5. Chapter V

**Just a warning, this chapter is gonna be a word-riddled beast, by my standards at least. Be ready to get your read on! I love you guys for all the support, I've gotten over 100 follows in less than a week, it makes me so happy just to think about. I hope you enjoy this chapter and, as always, leave some feedback for yours truly! :D**

It wasn't a long trip taking the railway from Beacon to Vale, but Jaune wasn't taking it very well. He was bent over at the waist threatening to hurl the entire time. Blake had a hand placed gently on his back, trying to soothe him and make sure he didn't vomit all over her shoes too. A few more minutes passed like this before the train began to slow to a stop.

_"Now arriving at 7th Avenue Station." _The mechanical voice of the train spoke.

Jaune let out a long and drawn out sigh of relief as he stepped off the train, Blake following closely behind. He pumped his fist, taking pride in the fact that he managed to keep the nausea pushed down long enough to make it to Vale.

"Are you alright?" Blake asked, lifting an eyebrow in concern.

"I just need a moment." He leaned up against the rails of the station, taking a breath as he calmed his stomach. "Trains really do a number on me."

She nodded in understanding, leaning up next to him and staring off into the city of Vale. It was already a sight to behold up from Beacon, but down on ground level the place was massive, seeming to stretch on infinitely in any direction she'd look. For a moment, she pondered what it would be like to be one of the people who lived here in the city. Ordinary people with an ordinary life, no fear of the creatures of Grimm nor the White Fang, no duty to protect the people of Remnant. She wouldn't want that though, being a huntress gave her purpose, a reason to fight.

"Blake." She was pulled out of her thoughts by Jaune's voice, flinching slightly as she turned to face him. "You good?"

"Y-yeah..." She stammered slightly, clearing her throat. "I just spaced out for a moment there."

"It's cool." Jaune stretched out, a deep yawn escaping from him. "I'm feeling better now, we can get going. If you're ready of course."

Blake nodded in a silent affirmation, pushing herself up off the railing of the station. She followed Jaune down the stairs to street level and began to walk with him.

"It's not as cold down here as it is up at Beacon." Blake pulled out her scroll to check the temperature. "It's only nine degrees down here, it's in the negatives up at the school."

"That's cause Beacon is built higher up, higher elevations means less air pressure means colder temperatures." Jaune nodded at her observation, more than happy to explain the reasoning behind it.

"Don't you go turning into Weiss on me, Jaune."

"It is strange though, don't you think?" He looked to the sky.

"Hmm?" She hummed, looking up to try and see what he was looking at. "What are you talking about?"

"Think about it." He spoke simply. "It's the dead of winter, it's colder than it's ever been, yet there's no snow."

"What do you think it means?" She asked, looking towards him with expectant amber eyes.

"I'm not sure." He shrugged. "It might be building up to a blizzard, which won't be good for anyone, especially without proper heating."

Blake nodded in understanding, frowning to herself about the whole situation. A moment of silence continued between the two as they continued to walk. From there it didn't take much longer for them to reach the Vale Depot, the sliding doors opened as they walked into a more than crowded store. It was in both of their intentions to be in and out as fast as possible, but with the sheer size of the store, it'd be a little hard.

"So, what are your plans for the winter break?" Jaune asked, trying to break the silence between them as well as pass some time while they traversed down the aisles in search of a heater.

"I..." She hesitated suddenly, a trace of sadness visible behind her eyes.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked." He cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to find a way to change the topic.

"N-no, it's alright." She shook her head, glancing around for a moment. "I don't really have any plans..." She avoided delving deeper into the topic, and Jaune seemed to have caught on. "What are you going to do?"

"I was thinking about heading back to my hometown." He smiled, his own hint of regret flashing behind cerulean eyes.

Blake opened her mouth to speak, but something caught her attention just then, it had caught Jaune's attention too and they glanced down the aisle they approached. Three scraggly men, all holding ear-to-ear grins on their faces, were surrounding a faunus girl. Blake scowled and went to confront them, but Jaune held his arm in front of her, stopping her from advancing.

"What are you doing?" She hissed at him.

"Just wait a moment." He motioned her to take a step back, which she reluctantly did.

"This is why I wear my bow." She whispered under her breath, ready to step in.

Jaune examined the situation, waiting for something to happen. After a heated argument that he couldn't make out the words of, the girl threw her drink on one of the men and tried to walk away, only to be stopped by another. A loud and stinging slap resonated throughout the aisle as one of the men hit her. That was the line right there, and Jaune put his arm down. He approached the three men, Blake following behind him angrily.

"What's going on here?" He cut in, trying to keep calm and diffuse the situation.

"This **faunus **here is causing issues!" The man scowled bitterly, hoping that Jaune would take his side.

"Hey!" Blake stepped in, but Jaune cut her off again.

"Don't get violent, we're in public." Jaune reminded her; she stepped back with an angry growl. Then he turned his gaze back to to the three men and sighed. "From where I stand it looks like you three are the ones causing issues. What did she do?"

Seeing that he wasn't on their side, they growled at him.

"Don't get involved, it's none of your business." One of them spoke.

Jaune took another step closer, eyeing him carefully.

"When this one innocent woman is being cornered by three men, it **is **my business." He spoke in a much more serious tone than usual.

"She's a faunus!" He shouted as if somehow that gave them the right to do what they were doing.

"What is that supposed to mean!?" Blake raised her voice, stepping in front of Jaune.

"Blake." He tried to grab her attention, but she didn't listen.

"Just cause she's not the same as you doesn't give you the right to shove her around like she's some sort of lesser being!"

At a loss for words, the man growled, and in a fit of rage he threw a punch towards Blake. His sudden act of aggression caught her off guard but she was quick to block... But the blow never came. Jaune had stepped in front of her, catching the man's fist and throwing it back down. He took a step back as Jaune towered over the man with more than an intimidating glare in his eyes, and it was then that the man realized the true height difference between them. He stood around five nine while the blonde knight stood half a foot above him at six three.

"**Leave.**" He held down the sudden urge to teach the man a valuable lesson right there.

_Keep calm. _He had to continuously tell himself.

"Don't think this is over." The man grit his teeth, turning on his heel and leaving with the other two.

"Are you alright?" Jaune asked the faunus.

She nodded, her fingers trembling slightly.

"T-thank you..." She stammered, turning to leave.

Jaune leaned up against the shelf and inhaled deeply, letting it all flow out in one exasperated sigh. Blake placed a hand on his back and tried to comfort him.

"You handled that situation really well." She looked to the floor. "Better than I would of if it were left to me."

"It was all I had not to drop him right there..." He clenched his fist, growling at the thought of it. "It just pisses me off, people thinking they have the fucking right to walk all over the faunus just cause they're **different. **No wonder your people are trying to start a revolution." For the second time that day, Jaune had made Blake visibly flinch. He mentally slapped himself for it. "Sorry, poor choice of wording. I'm just frustrated."

"It's alright, I understand." Blake patted his shoulder, taking her hand off his back afterward. "Once we find those heaters let's just get out of here."

"I concur." He nodded as they went on the move once more.

It took a few minutes of searching but they finally made it to the aisle of heaters only to find that the majority of it had been swept out already.

"I guess we should've expected this." Jaune sighed, glancing around at the minimal selection of heaters to try and find something good in the little that remained. "What do you think is better, electric power or dust power?"

"Well..." Blake pondered. "Electric is easier to maintain, plus you won't need to spend more money on dust crystals. I would imagine a dust-powered heater would give off substantially more heat, it's also more expensive, it'll probably run you around five-hundred lien or so."

"I'm not worried about expense, I can handle it. So dust-powered it is?" He picked one up and Blake did as well.

"Give me a moment." She pulled out her scroll and checked her funds. An indecisive look spread across her features and she sighed. "I have limited funds, I'm not sure if I should spend so much on a dust heater."

"Don't worry about it then." Jaune shook his head in dismissal. "I'll pay."

"**No.**" She spoke with a stern tone. "You're not paying for me."

"I don't think it was a question, Blake." He smirked, picking up another heater and handing it to her.

"Are you sure?" Her glare softened as she took it. "I don't want to put a dent in your wallet."

"Yes I'm sure. My parents still send me funds every month to make sure I can do a little more than get by." His demeanor fell slightly as his eyes shrunk. "Not that I've done much to deserve it."

Blake recoiled back slightly, unsure of how to help him. So instead she just nodded, not wanting to push the subject any further.

"Thank you." She spoke much quieter than usual.

Jaune nodded with a smile and they proceeded to checkout the heaters. They were greeted by a grumpy old man who didn't talk much, or at all really. He just mumbled to himself every time some minor inconvenience came about and then sent them on their way when they were done. Luckily, the dust store was just down the bend, so it didn't take long to head there and, just in case the cold lasted longer than expected, purchase enough dust crystals to last them the winter. After they got outside, Jaune took a moment to sit down on a bench and rest his legs from all the walking they'd done. Blake sat down next to him and stretched back, also taking the opportunity to rest. She looked over to Jaune, who's face was turned to the sky, a strangely solemn expression painted on dully on his features.

"Jaune, are you alright?" She asked softly, reaching out to comfort him.

"Are you?" He turned to face her, the expression he bore remained the same.

Blake didn't have an immediate response, instead, she slid closer to him and rested her head on his shoulders. Jaune tensed up for a moment, mostly due to surprise, but after a few seconds he relaxed, leaning his head over her own.

"Not really, no." She finally admitted with a deep sigh.

"Me neither." He spoke quieter than usual. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." She sniffled in the cold weather, staring at her hands in thought. "Do you?"

"I can't say I do." He let out a weak chuckle in an attempt to lighten the air around them. They sat silently in each other's company for more than a few moments. Jaune lifted his arm and patted her btf ack, making to stand. "We should get going."

Blake nodded and stood up with him, stretching out slightly. He glanced around for a moment before his gaze fell upon her own and she smiled softly. He blushed, but luckily for him it was masked by his already pink cheeks. He picked up their heaters began to move once more, making their way back to the train station. Knowing it would take a hot minute to reach their destination, Jaune led her around a few shortcuts he'd picked up during his time around Vale. Somewhere along the way though, he'd taken a wrong turn and found himself facing a dead end in an alleyway.

"Well..." Jaune sighed to himself.

"Wrong turn?" Blake smirked, nudging his shoulder with her own.

"Shut up." He grumbled, trying to think about where he'd messed up.

Before his thought process could finish, there was a strange clicking noise behind him, almost as if someone had just pulled back the slide of...

_A gun. _Jaune's eyes widened, he dropped the heaters, and before his brain could even register the danger, his arms sprung out and grabbed Blake.

With a tug, he managed to push her against the wall, a little harder than he'd care to admit, and shield her with his own body. He planted his hands against the wall on either side of her, grunting in pain as multiple gunshots smacked against his back, burning holes into his sweater as his aura protected him the best it could. He heard a click as the gunshots stopped, telling him that whoever attacked them would have to reload. Jaune pushed himself off the wall and spun around, his back burning with agonizing pain. With a level of anger Blake had never seen in him, Jaune slowly walked towards the man, who was shaking now, struggling to reload his gun due to his trembling hands.

_It's that same scraggly bastard from the Vale Depot... _Jaune drew closer to him.

Finally, the man had managed to reload his gun, but by the time his quivering hands could aim at him, the blonde reached out with inhuman speed and grabbed the barrel of the gun. He pulsed a strong amount of aura through his arm and slowly bent the barrel upwards.

"W-what the hell?" He backed up in fear.

Jaune towered over the man now, glaring down at him with darkened eyes.

"It's funny..." He whispered. "The difference between huntsmen and civilians."

Blake took a step closer, immense worry and a tinge of fear spread across her features.

"Jaune." She approached slowly.

"Stay back." He scowled, lifting his arm up to stop her. He grabbed the man by the shirt and leaned in so they were face-to-face. "You're so very lucky I'm not most huntsmen, or there might have been a murder scene right here, and it wouldn't be my body on the floor."

As he let the man go, three policemen came around the corner with raised guns.

"What's going on!?" One of them shouted.

"He fired on us." Jaune pushed him towards them, turning around slowly with his hands raised to show the bullet holes in his shirt and the seared skin behind them. "Luckily we're students at Beacon Academy, so you don't have to scrape up two dead bodies in an alley."

The policeman nodded, forcing the man into a kneel as he handcuffed his arms behind his back.

"Are you two alright?" He asked with a level of concern, struggling for a moment to keep the man pinned down.

"We're fine, I'll heal up pretty quick, and she's unharmed." Jaune nodded, Blake did as well. "If it's all clear with you, we're gonna head back to Beacon and report this incident to the headmaster."

"Normally I'm not supposed to let you run off..." He frowned slightly in a moment of indecision. "I'll let it slide this time, but we will be getting in touch with your headmaster, so you should expect to here back from the department in the near future."

"A question, if I may?" The blonde lifted a finger, waiting for a nod from the policeman. "I have plans to go out of town in a few days, is this going to hinder that?"

"It shouldn't, no. If all goes smoothly we should have this cleared up by tomorrow, the day after that if not. You're most likely not gonna have to come back down to Vale either, so you shouldn't have to worry about any of that. As for you..." He turned his gaze to the handcuffed man. "You'll be coming with us, and you'll be spending a long time behind bars for attempted murder."

One of other policemen picked up the gun, staring at the bent hunk of metal with a perplexed expression. He looked to Jaune then back at the gun a few times before shrugging and putting it in a plastic bag.

"Thank you, officer." Jaune nodded. "Take care, we'll be on the ready if you need anything from us."

"Of course." He extended his arm and they shook hands. "I'm Officer Jackson by the way, and you?"

"Ah, where are my manners." He smiled weakly, still recovering from the rage. "I'm Jaune Arc, and this is my friend Blake."

Blake nodded, remaining quiet as she gently shook his hand. Officer Jackson turned his gaze back to Jaune and lifted an eyebrow.

"You don't happen to be Solomon's boy do you?" He asked with a hint of curiosity.

"You know my father?" Jaune's eyes widened in surprise, even Blake was slightly shocked.

"Wow." He gasped, baffled beyond even his own comprehension. "Me and your father were good friends, but it's been a while since we've last spoken. It's shocking though, the last time I saw you, you were probably only around two years old... Your father was quite adamant on you not becoming a huntsman last I remember, he let you go to Beacon?"

"Not exactly." He spoke quietly, looking away in shame. "It's complicated."

The officer shrugged it off, not wanting to push the subject any further.

"Well, I'll be sure to keep in touch Jaune, but I've got to get going now." He looked down at the man, who remained silent, a dark scowl on his expression. He forced him up and escorted him to his cruiser. "I'll catch you later Jaune."

He nodded, waving the officer off and sighing in relief as he drove off into distance. He looked over to Blake, who was gazing up at him with concern.

"Everything alright?" Jaune asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She grabbed his arm gently and slid it off her.

"Why?" She lifted an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" He looked genuinely confused.

"Jaune, not many people's aura can take that many bullets, mine certainly can't." Her voice trembled and her words came out weak and hoarse. "I know that you didn't know if you'd survive that. So why'd you risk your own life for **me?**"

"I... My body acted before I could truly register the situation." He patted her shoulder. "I would've have done it either way, I'm happy you're safe."

Blake, without another moments hesitation, wrapped him in a tight hug. He froze, but found his arms wrapping around her as well. The palm of his hand gently brushed against her back before resting on it entirely.

"Thank you." She whispered into his chest, a tear falling from her eye. Her grip around him tightened slightly and she reveled in the strange warmth he provided. "Do you mind if I check your back?"

Jaune shook his head, sliding his sweater off and then the shirt underneath, shivering as the cold touched his bare skin. He turned around slowly to show her his back. Blake had to try very hard not to get distracted, she was surprised by how well toned he was. By no means was he a muscle-bound freak, but the lines of back were well-defined, and she could see them contract and extend as he shifted into a better position, leaning against the building wall. Blake trailed her fingers down his back, he flinched as she lightly grazed over the burn marks.

"They look second-degree." She frowned. "Do they hurt?"

"Not when you touch them." He spoke softly.

She blushed immensely as her fingers traced the burn marks. She didn't say anything to his response, but she continued to inspect them gently.

"As cold as it is, I think you should keep your shirt off." She admitted. "You don't want any loose fabric to get caught in the burns, that can lead to some nasty infections."

Jaune nodded, walking back over to the heaters he'd dropped so carelessly. He stuck in his clothing in the large bag they laid in.

"I'll carry them." Blake picked them up and they began to move once more.

The walk back to the train station was silent and the twenty minutes it took felt more like an hour. They sat down beside each other on the waiting bench, the shirtless Jaune getting more than a few glances from the civilians. It took another fifteen minutes or so for the train to arrive, and they boarded quickly once it did.

* * *

Yang sat down with Ruby and Ren, who had opted to stay a while longer even after cooking food. Weiss sat at her desk, still as studious as ever despite the fact that they were on break.

"How are you feeling Ruby?" Yang asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm feeling better, thanks to you and Ren." She nodded. "I think I'm still gonna need some more rest for me to get over the sickness though."

Ren and Yang both nodded with understanding smiles. She was about to speak once more when the door swung open, and in came Blake and a... Shirtless Jaune?

_Not bad. _She noted his muscular build.

Then she became all too aware of their pained expressions, watching as Blake dropped a large bag full of a few items to the floor. Jaune took a seat cross-legged on the ground and leaned over. She shot to her feet and walked over to the pair, Weiss seemed to have noticed as well, as she got up from her desk.

"Are you alright, Blake?" Weiss asked with concern, the faunus nodded slowly. She turned her gaze to the shirtless blonde boy. "Jaune, what did you do!?"

"Weiss!" Blake snapped at her, shutting the snow-haired woman up pretty quickly. "Yang, I need the rubbing alcohol and Ruby, a **clean **rag."

They nodded, quickly heading in their respective directions, coming back with what was asked of them.

"What the hell happened?" Yang asked as they handed both items to Blake.

"We were attacked." Jaune answered, and Yang caught a glimpse of the seared marks on his back. Her eyes flickered red.

"By who?" She growled. "Was it Roman? The White Fang?"

"No." Blake responded this time. "It was some scraggly asshole who unloaded a handgun on us after we told him off for assaulting a faunus." She frowned. "Jaune took all the shots, he's likely the only reason I'm alive."

"What!?" She turned to Jaune, who flinched slightly as Blake began to gently clean up the wounds on his back. "How are you still alive?"

"I've got a bigger aura than most." He nodded. "It comes in handy when I need to take a few extra hits."

Yang nodded in understanding.

"Thank you." She smiled at him with deep gratitude. "I'm glad your safe, Blake."

"Yeah..." Weiss spoke up then she fixed her gaze on Jaune with an apologetic frown. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to blame you for anything, I was just concerned."

"It's alright." Jaune nodded. "I understand your concern for a teammate. Just try not to be so fast to put the blame on the one that's injured, yeah?" He teased lightly.

Weiss crossed her arms and looked away, but then smiled slightly with a nod.

"So you two are okay?" Ruby cut in, looking at the many wounds on Jaune's back.

"Yeah." He smiled. "We've still got to speak to Headmaster Ozpin about what happened, the VPD are gonna reach out to him as well and try to get the situation cleared up as quickly as possible."

Everyone nodded briskly. Blake stood up and walked away for a moment, coming back a wrap of bandages and a bottle of burn ointment. She lathered his burns with it gently, Jaune shivering as her palms ran up and down his back. He lifted his arms and let her wrap his back up.

"Alright." She let out a sigh of relief. "You should be good for the time being. Try not to lay on your back too much and come back to me every now and then so I can check your wounds and replace your bandages. Also, can we talk in private for a moment?"

Jaune nodded and followed her out the door.

"Three-hundred lien says they get together before the end of the break." Yang smirked.

* * *

"What did you need?" Jaune asked, facing Blake in the hallway between their respective dorms.

"I have a question. Something that I assume is kind of personal, so I understand if you don't want to answer." She spoke and he nodded. "Your family, you shrink away whenever they're mentioned. Why?"

He flinched slightly, looking to the ground then back up to her.

"I..." He hesitated.

"It's okay if you don't want to answer, Jaune."

"No. You should know." He shook his head, taking a deep breath. "I didn't go to a combat school before Beacon." Blake lifted a curious eyebrow before allowing him to continue. "I also cheated my way into Beacon."

Blake's eyes widened. She definitely hadn't been expecting that.

"How?" She asked.

"Well, I wanted to be a huntsman, to protect people, but that was the one thing my father didn't want me becoming." He sighed, trying to find how to explain the situation. "One night, three years ago now, I ran away from home. My weapon, Crocea Mors, is actually a family heirloom my great-great grandfather used to fight in the Great War. I **stole **it and ran without looking back. Afterwards, I forged transcripts and cheated my way into Beacon." He looked away in shame. "It's funny actually, Ozpin knew the whole time. Apparently he saw something in me that I couldn't... I still can't."

He shut his eyes, his hands clenching into a tight fist. Suddenly there was a soft sensation on his cheeks, his eyes opened slowly. Blake stood a considerable distance closer to him, her hand outstretched, fingers grazing over his cheek ever-so-gently. She smiled. Not her usual playful smirk or gentle smile, no, this time it was a pure smile that made his heart flutter and begin to race.

"I can." She paused, taking a breath. "You're strong, gifted, quick-learning, determined, and beyond that, you **never **stay down. You speak your mind, you always put others before you." Jaune stared at her with a stunned expression, his heart now throbbing in his chest. "But above all, you're a problem-solver and a leader."

He wasn't sure what to say, not sure how to make sense of any of it. He stared into her eyes with parted lips, and before he knew it, he was drawing closer to her. He stopped just short of her own lips, trying to judge any outward reaction from her. He didn't get anything, she just eyed his lips before her own parted slightly, the heat of her breath mingling with his own. Then his lips were against hers, as rough as they were gentle, stirring a fire in her own chest. Her hands began to tremble, finding a place on his sides.

"S-stop." Her voice shook weakly as she pushed him away. "This is a mistake."

"Blake?" His eyes opened to face her trembling form. "What's wrong?"

"This is a mistake!" She snapped, repeating herself. Jaune took a step back, confused by the dramatic turn the situation had taken. Her face fell as she realized she'd just yelled at him. "I'm sorry."

Blake clenched her fists and grit her teeth, trying to calm herself. Jaune's hand came down on her shoulder and he began to thumb over it gently.

"I understand." He sighed, nodding with a weak smile. "I enjoyed spending time with you today, except for the part where I got shot."

A frail chuckle escaped her lips despite her expression that remained solemn and conflicted.

"I need time." She spoke in a little more than a whisper, Jaune nodded.

Blake slipped back into her dorm, and Jaune was left in the hallway alone. He slid against the wall by his door and buried his face in his palms.

"Dammit." He growled into his hands.

Jaune returned to his room, putting on a long-sleeved shirt now that he had bandages on his wounds and laid down on his side. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, but at some point, he had found himself drifting off. He didn't fight it, he didn't have the energy. Besides, a little bit of a nap couldn't have hurt so bad.

* * *

**_This chapter was really hard to write, and I seriously hope you enjoyed it. It was a 6000 word chapter, so I hope you enjoy! :D_**

**_As always, LEAVE SOME FEEDBACK and tell me where I can improve. :)_**

**_EDIT: I regret to inform you some changes have been made to the last scene due to issues with the flow of the story, I'll try not to let it happen again._**


	6. Chapter VI

**And we're back, sorry for the more than confusing inconvenience with Chapter V. If you haven't reread the last scene of V, reread it! NOW! YOU WILL BE ETERNALLY CONFUSED IF YOU DON'T! Anyways, if you're reading this specific line it's cause you went back to reread Chapter V or you're just rebellious and don't like being told what to do, so enjoy Chapter VI!**

Jaune awoke, his eyes fluttering open steadily as he started blankly at the wall in front of him. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, swallowing a dry lump in his throat. His mind returned to the events that preceded his short nap, and a strange heat rose to his face. He'd kissed her, he'd kissed Blake, but... She pushed him away. His eyebrows furrowed as he stood to his feet and stretched his shoulders out. He paced around the room for a moment before leaning up against the wall, entirely unsure of what to do now. He slid his shirt off and blushed slightly as he brushed his fingers across the bandages.

"Jaune?" A familiar voice called out as Pyrrha walked out of the bathroom. "Is everything alright?"

He turned to face to her, a blank expression remaining on his features as he shrugged.

"Not sure." He admitted honestly, taking a seat at the kitchen table. Pyrrha sat down next to him and patted his shoulder.

"What happened?" She asked, pointing to the bandages around his torso.

"Oh." Jaune looked down at them. "Me and Blake were attacked down in Vale, it isn't serious though. I'll heal pretty fast."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, really." Jaune reassured her.

An odd silence followed for a few moments after, Jaune twiddled his thumbs slowly before looking back to the girl.

"Pyrrha..." He raised his voice suddenly, inhaling sharply before sitting up straight. "If I asked you what my greatest qualities were, what would you say?"

"Well..." Pyrrha thought for a moment, her fingers tapping along the table. "I'd say you're strong, devoted to learning, always trying to find ways to improve yourself and be better." The words began to flow naturally as she continued. "You're a great leader, and you're selfless, frustratingly so, and you never know when to stay down."

Jaune chuckled slightly.

"Funny." He started, sighing deeply. "That's almost exactly what Blake told me."

"Blake told you that?" She lifted a curious eyebrow.

"Mhm..." He hummed. "We've gotten quite close lately, and well... I don't know, I guess I pushed it too far."

"How so?" Pyrrha asked simply.

"I..." Jaune took a deep breath. "I kissed her. Earlier today in the hallway."

Pyrrha's concerned glare turned into one of shock; it took her a moment to regather her thoughts.

"Oh, I..." She started, unable to finish her sentence. "Wow. You and Blake?"

Jaune nodded, burying his face into his palms. Pyrrha sighed and reached her arm out to comfort him.

"It's gonna be alright, give it time." She paused for a moment. "Things like this have a tendency to sort themselves out."

"Y-yeah." Jaune nodded with an almost exasperated sigh. "Thanks Pyr."

"Of course Jaune, what are friends for?" She spoke softly, a slight hint of regret in her voice.

It passed quickly though, Pyrrha beginning to smile soon after.

"What about you Pyrrha?" Jaune raised an eyebrow.

"Hm?" She hummed in confusion. "Me?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "How are you doing?"

"I..." Her eyebrows furrowed slightly. "I'm not sure, really. I've got a lot coming up."

"Well I'm not going anywhere, feel free to explain." He shrugged.

"Well." She started, unsure of what to say. "I'm headed out for the break, visiting family. It should be alright but... I guess I'm just worried." There was a long pause. "It's been a long time since I've seen them, since they've seen me. I'm worried they'll be disappointed in what they find."

"Pyrrha." Jaune shook his head. "You've got no need to worry about that. Looking at you now, I don't see any cause for someone to be disappointed."

Pyrrha nodded lightly before smiling at him.

"Thank you Jaune, I needed that."

"I could say the same to you." He paused for a moment, making to stand soon after. He grabbed Crocea Mors from the wall and unsheathed it with a toothy smile. "What do you say we go for a round on the rooftop? For ol' times sake."

"That would be grand." She stood up.

Pyrrha grabbed her weapons before they headed out of the dorm and made their way to the rooftop.

* * *

Blake clenched her fists, leaning against the wall at the end of her bed. She held a book in hand but for the first time in a long time found herself unable to drown her thoughts with the words that laid on the page. Despite this, she pressed on, trying desperately to fill her mind with some sort of distraction. Much to her dismay, she couldn't occupy her thoughts. In frustration, she slammed the book shut and set it down on her nightstand, taking a deep breath as she stood.

_Dammit_. She mentally berated herself for letting Jaune get so far under her skin.

She looked around to see that her team was still catching up on some much needed sleep, leaving her to nothing but her own devices. Which, quite honestly, was not working very well. She glanced around, frowning when her eyes fell upon a beige coat behind the open closet door. She still hadn't returned it to Jaune. She faced back up, staring at the bottom of the bed above her. Maybe she just needed some outside time to clear her head. She stood up and, with a slight bit of hesitation, headed for the roof.

_No more running. _She told herself, taking multiple deep breaths.

"Next time I see him, we'll talk." She promised herself with a dull whisper.

* * *

The sound of clashing metal erupted as blade met shield. Jaune slid back, readjusting his grip as he eyed Pyrrha patiently. After a moment, she dashed towards him and swung downwards with her spear. He was quick to lift his shield and block the next few attacks before ducking under a wide sweep, countering with a quick slash before standing back up.

"You're getting much better, Jaune." Pyrrha noted, taking a step back.

"Nonsense, you're going easy on me." He smirked, watching her carefully.

"You never give yourself enough credit, you know that?" She threw her shield at him.

Jaune raised his own to block, a loud clang ringing out as shield met shield. Pyrrha ran towards him, picking up her shield as she swept at his feet. He jumped back to dodge, carefully examining her movements. When she sprang forward, he blocked her flurry of jabs and swings before countering with a wide swing, too wide.

_Shit. _He'd realized his mistake too late.

Pyrrha ducked under it and sprung up, slamming him in the chin with her shield, causing the blonde to stagger back. He shook off the dizziness as quickly as he could to get a general gauge on her next movement. He managed to block her next blow, but barely, taking a step back to block the next one.

"Your defense is unparalleled Jaune." Pyrrha halted the fight, sheathing her weapon. "I can't get a hit in on you." Jaune nodded with a slightly self-confident smile, then he saw the look on Pyrrha's face.

"But?" He lifted a curious eyebrow, slight hints of smirk taking shape on his face.

"Your offense is lacking." She pointed to his blade. "Your sword and shield go hand and hand, you have to be able to use them in unison."

"And how do you suggest I do that?" Jaune asked genuinely.

"Well..." Pyrrha paused for a moment. "I use a shield as well, which is hard on your offense cause most things you put out on me is either blocked or dodged. I don't think the fault is entirely yours, rather the fact that I'm your only opponent."

"I see..." Jaune's gaze averted quickly to the floor.

"Hey, don't fret." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "We can find you someone new to fight. You won't be able to expand your style if it's only accustomed to me."

"Perhaps I could be of some assistance." A new voice spoke up suddenly, startling both Jaune and Pyrrha alike.

He turned quickly to face the source of the sound and his eyes widened.

"Blake?" His jaw nearly dropped, his face suddenly turning very red. "W-what're you doing here?"

Jaune was glad it was at least somewhat dark out, it made it easier to hide his deep blush.

"Well I came up here for fresh air." She shrugged. "Of course **you've **got to be here." She growled without much heat behind it.

"It's..." Pyrrha looked at her then back to Jaune, sensing that there was still some tension between the glances that the two shared. "It's pretty convenient that you show up now. I was just gonna look for someone else to spar Jaune." She took a breath. "Y-you wouldn't mind would you?"

"Not at all." She took a step closer.

Jaune swallowed heavily.

"Y-yeah, that's fine." He stammered.

Blake took a few steps back and readied her weapon.

"Don't think I'm gonna go easy on you, **vomit-boy.**" She teased with a smirk.

"Don't you start." He growled, tightening his grip on his blade and lifting his shield. "I've got Yang and Ruby for that, I don't need you joining in."

Despite what sounded like a heated argument, Jaune was happy they were still on speaking terms, maybe they could get back on track as friends after all. Blake, however, didn't respond, instead she dashed towards him without warning. He lifted his shield quickly in response, easily blocking her attack. He jabbed toward her, but to his surprise, she didn't move. Her form disappeared before him.

_Her semblance. _He grit his teeth, turning one-eighty to face her once more.

She was already swinging toward his head, he didn't have time to block so he ducked under it, barely dodging the heavy blow. He tried to exploit the opening she'd left but she was quick to jump back and start firing at him. He lifted his shield and knelt down, covering himself entirely until her gun clicked, signalling she had to reload. He lunged towards her, swinging wider than usual. As she ducked, he took another step, raising his shield and bashing her in the side with it. She staggered back and repositioned her form.

"Good hit." She nodded. "But you're way too tense. Your form is too mechanical. No offense Pyrrha."

"None taken." She lifted her hands as she stepped back. "You're teaching, do as you must."

"Alright." She nodded, turning back to Jaune. "While a set stance works for an expert fighter like Pyrrha, it doesn't seem to be doing the trick for you."

She stepped towards him, guiding his arms down gently. He looked away with a blush and, admittedly, she had to stifle her own little bit of heat from rising to her cheeks.

"Loosen up." She spoke after a moment. "Find what's practical while maintaining comfort and flexibility."

Jaune fidgeted around for a bit before nodding.

"This feels right." He stopped shifting. "Alright, I'm ready."

Blake nodded and, without hesitation, charged him. He lifted his shield, stepping forward and blocking her blow. He swung at her and she disappeared once more. This was something Jaune had accounted for this time around and, rather than looking around blindly, he spun in a whirlwind, forcing Blake to jump back slightly. He grinned at her and held his position, waiting for her to strike. When she did, he blocked three fast blows and ducked under the last.

"Much better." She nodded, jumping back before he could counter. "Experiment, photographers take hundreds of images, not one. It's the same with fighting, change things up, don't settle into one outcome when there are thousands of different possibilities."

"You get that from one of your books?" Jaune asked with a cheeky grin.

"No actually, my father told me that when I was younger." Blake shot back.

"Well he seems like a very wise man." He nodded, readying his blade.

"A little bit of an air-headed beefcake, but yes, very knowledgeable and experienced." She smirked.

Jaune looked back to Pyrrha, only to find that she'd disappeared. He frowned slightly but looked back to the faunus before him. They went at it for another good thirty minutes before giving in to exhaustion.

"Your defense..." She panted for air. "Solid."

"Your sentences aren't." He smirked, leaning up against the wall and falling into a sitting position.

"Shut up you." She smirked, sitting down next to him.

Another good while passed and Jaune traded glances with her, blushing slightly before looking away once more.

"So are we just gonna ignore the elephant in the room?" He finally mustered the courage to speak, glancing towards her once more.

"It was easy when we were fighting." She looked away. "Now, not so much."

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked simply.

"Not really." She sighed, seemingly disappointed in herself. "But I think we should."

"You first." He lifted his hands, unsure of how to start.

"I..." She held her tongue for a moment, then let out a deep and frustrated breath. "Why'd you kiss me?"

"After everything that had happened in Vale? I guess it just felt right." He answered more casually than either of them had expected. His question surprised even himself. "Why'd you push me away?"

"Cause..." Blake shrunk away slightly. "I was scared."

"I see." He averted his gaze. "Well, if it's all the same to you, I'd honestly like to forget it ever happened."

"Why?" Blake asked.

"Blake." He looked her in the eye. "We had something good going, a budding friendship. I messed that up, big time, and I'm sorry if I made things more than weird between us. So please, let's just forget about this?"

"Sorry." She shook her head. "Can't do that."

"Why not?" Jaune already knew the answer, but he pushed on nonetheless.

"Cause it **happened.**" She swallowed.

"Yeah." His face fell, the tension between them was tight, unimaginably so.

"Yeah." She repeated with a soothing breath, shifting herself towards the front of him.

Jaune was looking to the floor with a frown when he felt two fingers slide underneath his chin and turn his head towards her own. That was when, for the second time that day, their lips met. His eyes widened for a moment, but that faded as quickly as it came, his hands finding a comfortable place on her sides. His cheeks were red hot, his entire body feeling like it was burning up. He traced a hand up to her lower back and pushed into the kiss, her own fingers lifting to rest gently on his cheek, gently intertwining with his golden locks. Blake moved closer and pushed him further against the wall, placing her free hand on his chest, feeling the soft fabric of his hoodie beneath her fingers.

"Wow." He whispered as Blake slowly pulled away from him.

"Jaune..." Her voice wavered, her fingers beginning to tremble. "W-we should talk."

**I am so sorry that this chapter took so long to complete, there were a lot of hindrances and little details I kept nitpicking at but I think I've got something I'm somewhat happy with. I hope you enjoy it and you can expect much more from me. Of course, let the critic in you flow and flame me for my mistakes, especially you WearyCurmudgeon, you've been a great help... Also ignore my fifty comments, I kept resending cause FanFiction was like "hey those failed to send" and then they all sent like 12 hours later RIP. I've got a big fic planned after this one is done, not saying anything yet but be ready for something MASSIVE. Love you guys and I'll see you in the next chapter!**


	7. Chapter VII

Jaune and Blake had since vacated the rooftop and returned to the empty hallway between their dorms. Jaune slid back on the wall into a sitting position, turning his gaze to Blake who had taken a seat on the floor next to him.

"So... You wanted to talk?" He shivered slightly.

Sure, it wasn't as cold in here as it was on the rooftop, but it was still more than uncomfortable.

"Yeah." Blake nodded, leaning her head against the wall behind her, letting loose a deep sigh. "There's a few things you should know before you..."

"Before I what?" He asked after a prolonged moment of silence.

"Jaune." She took a breath. "Do you want this? To try and pursue something with me?"

"Blake." He spoke softly, lifting a gentle hand to her cheek with a warm smile. "I'd like that more than anything."

"Then..." She leaned into his hand, inhaling deeply. "You need to know that I've been broken before, and that I'm **still** not fixed."

"Hey." He thumbed over her cheek. "I don't care that you've got a few dents, that's what makes you, well... **Y****ou.**"

Blake couldn't stop the dumb smile from spreading across her face, a slight heat rising to her cheeks. Before she could even turn to hide her blush, Jaune moved in and kissed her. She closed her eyes and placed a hand on his chest, pushing into him.

"I'm putting my heart in your hands." She pulled away, letting her face fall. "Please be gentle."

Jaune frowned, placing a hand on her heart. He then he used his other hand to guide her own to his chest.

"Just as I'll hold your heart, you'll hold mine." He smiled. "I'll be putting both my feet in this relationship, I hope you'll do the same."

"I-I'll do my best." She nodded, suddenly captivated by his gaze.

"I know you will." He stroked her cheek. "Let's get something to drink, yeah? Maybe even finish Apotheosis while we're at it. Plus, Ren and Nora are out in Vale, and Pyrrha..." He frowned. "Well I'm not sure where she is."

"Jaune, you do know right?" She lifted an eyebrow. "About Pyrrha?"

"I..." Jaune sighed, facing the floor. "I do."

"You should talk to her when you can." Blake suggested. "Her feelings aren't just gonna fade cause you ignore it. You should clear things up with her."

He nodded hesitantly, letting out a drawn-out breath.

"Yeah, I'll do that."

"Good." She smiled warmly.

Jaune's heart fluttered for a moment before he pulled her into a soft embrace, one that she had no troubles reciprocating. After a few prolonged seconds of hugging, he led her into his dorm.

* * *

Blake took a deep sip of her hot tea, relaxing her shoulders slowly. Jaune was leaned against the wall, the back of the faunus' head pressed softly against his chest. She held up the book in one hand, using the other one intermittently to sip at her tea while they read. Blake was a fast reader, so she was pleasantly surprised at his ability to keep up with her. However, Jaune would brush a thumb against her arm every time he finished just in case. Silence would continue beyond that for a long while before it was inevitably broken.

"This is nice." Jaune whispered, thumbing over her arm gently.

"It is." She spoke softly in response, turning the page.

Another odd moment of silence passed. Jaune leaned in slightly and kissed her on the cheek, just beside her ear. She shivered at his touch, turning to face him with wide eyes and rosy cheeks.

"S-sorry." He looked away, swallowing heavily.

"It's alright..." She took a deep breath, attempting to calm her nerves. She turned around to better face him and set the book down beside her. "You just caught me off guard, that's all. I'm still not used to all this... It's been a long time."

"I..." Jaune paused for a moment as his brows furrowed. "I've never been in a relationship, so this is all very new to me. You'll have to let me know when I overstep my boundaries."

"It's okay, really." She nodded with a gentle smile, then her expression shifted to one of question. "You've never dated?"

"Well look at me." He turned his gaze to himself then back to her. "I'm not exactly the top of the food chain, Blake. Honestly it's a surprise you've even given me a chance." He whispered that last part under his breath.

_**SLAP!**_

"Ow." Jaune lifted his hand to his face where Blake had hit him, rubbing it softly.

"I don't want to hear that." She growled, moving closer to him. "I'm not doing this for you, **we** are doing this for **us**." She then placed a firm hand on his cheek and kissed him.

His eyes widened for a small moment, his head beginning to spin. After a brief wave of lightheadedness passed, he found himself kissing back, further deepening the display of true affection that Blake had initiated. Jaune's heart began to race and his cheeks began to burn. His hands were entirely unsure of where to rest, though they eventually found a comfortable place on her lower back, pulling her closer. His heart skipped a beat when he felt her tongue brush against his lips, he wasted no time in letting her in. A strange mixture of blackberry and vanilla invaded his sense of taste, and it was then that he became all too aware of two things. She was much more experienced with this than he was, and that he had definitely forgotten to brush his teeth this morning. Blake, however, didn't seem to mind the latter of the two facts as she continued to assault his all-too-fragile senses. Her body curved sporadically against his own as the lack of air began to pull them away, still trying desperately to continue the kiss between sharp half-breaths.

Blake slowly withdrew from his lips, the unfortunate human need for oxygen finally outweighing their desire to be closer.

"S-sorry." He panted, the blush fading from his features as he averted his gaze from her.

"Stop apologizing." She spoke in a lower tone than usual. "I want this, Jaune. I don't want to run anymore, especially not from you." She emphasized.

A short gap of silence preceded Jaune's next words.

"Come with me." He spoke softly, stroking her cheek.

"Hmm?" She hummed in question, lifting an eyebrow towards him.

"I'd hate for you to spend the break alone, Blake." He pecked her lips. "Besides, I'm a little scared to face my family, the company would be much appreciated." He joked with a light chuckle.

"I..." She blushed, then her conflicted face fell into a warm smile. "I wouldn't be getting in the way would I?"

"No, of course not." He shook his head. "But... I should give them a call and warn them beforehand."

Blake noticed how the words fell bitter on his tongue, as if he was afraid to talk to them.

"Hey." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I think they'd like to hear from you."

Jaune nodded, pulling out his scroll as he took a deep breath.

"Wish me luck." He chuckled as he punched in a few numbers.

The phone rang for a moment, a deafening silence filling the air. Blake locked an arm around his own in an attempt to ease his troubled mind. Suddenly, the phone picked up, and a voice came in from the other side of the scroll.

"Hello?" A deeper voice spoke.

"Hey dad." He let out a breath.

"Jaune?" His father's voice audibly trembled after a moment. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, it is." He confirmed.

A sharp inhale could be heard from the phone, and it was then that Jaune knew this would be a long and very much-needed talk.

* * *

**Seems like a good place to end this chapter. Sorry that it's so short. :/**

**As always, leave your likes, your dislikes, and I hope you're enjoying this as much as I enjoy writing it. It took a while to figure out how to write this chapter, but I pulled through. Have a good day, I love all of you and it's honestly mind-blowing the traction this story has picked up. It has over 15,000 views now plus the almost three-hundred follows. If you want a gauge of how long this story is gonna be, I'm about halfway through what I've got planned for it. Plus, I've got two planned fics coming after this one and a plethora of one shots that I'll be posting every now and then while you wait for new content. Alright, I bid thee farewell and I'll see all you wonderful people in the chapter. Bye! :)**


	8. Chapter VIII

"I'm surpised you called." Jaune's father spoke sharply.

"I'm always happy to talk dad." He sighed. "I..."

"Just get to the point, son. Why'd you call?"

"Dad I..." He winced, Blake squeezed his hand in an attempt to comfort him. "I'm just excited to see you and mom and the family."

"We're all happy you're coming as well." His voice was softer now, more welcoming.

"And..." Jaune raised his voice. "I wanted to ask if you have space for one more."

"We've got an empty guest room, what's his name?"

"Her name." He corrected quietly. "Is Blake."

"A girl?"

"Yeah, a girl." Jaune looked over to the female in question with a weak smile that she returned. "She's got nowhere to go for the break, figured she could tag along with me."

"Well, I don't see why not. We'll prepare the room for her."

There was a long pause between the two.

"Dad, I'm sorry." He took a deep breath. "I-"

"I don't want to hear it, Jaune. Not over the phone, we can talk when we're face-to-face."

"Yes sir." His breath wavered.

"Is that all?" He asked simply.

"Yeah, I've got to get packed." His grip on the phone tightened.

"See you soon, kiddo."

"Dad?" Jaune inhaled sharply.

"Yes, son?"

"I..." He hesitated. "I'll see you soon too."

"I hope so." He sighed, his voice lighter than before. "Be safe, alright?"

"Of course."

There was a beeping as the scroll hung up, Jaune dropped it to the floor. He leaned back against the wall as he buried his face in his hands. Blake immediately pulled him into a soft embrace that he happily returned, tears threatening to stream from his eyes.

"It's alright Jaune." She whispered, gently rubbing his back.

"Thank you, Blake." He sobbed into her shoulder.

The two fell into their same routine of making tea, getting settled into a comfortable position, and reading a book. Though with how close they were to finishing, this would likely be their last session with Apotheosis. As usual, Blake rested on Jaune's chest and he rested against the wall, sipping at their respective cups of tea. After a few hours of this, they finally finished the book, Blake shut it and let loose a soft breath.

"Always been one of my favorite books." He smiled.

"I am particularly fond of it as well." She agreed.

"Even more so now that my memory of it is forever associated with you." His words caused her to blush heavily.

She set the book down and they leaned in for a kiss. Though originally intended to be chaste, it spiraled into something slightly more passionate. He pulled away from her, then wrapped his arms around her form in a gentle embrace.

"Thank you." Jaune spoke once more in a whisper.

She smiled but didn't outwardly respond, remaining rather content in their hug. Almost an hour passed as they sat in relative silence before Blake parted ways with Jaune, heading back to her dorm to pack for the trip.

* * *

It was cold outside on the rooftop, though that didn't bother Pyrrha as much as the rain. She did have a jacket, unfortunately such a jacket couldn't protect her from the emotional turmoil she'd been going through. She sighed deeply, not seeming to notice the presence of anyone around her until he was sitting right next to her. She remained silent and he did the same, though such silence that they shared was far more comforting than it was painful or awkward. It was long a while before either decided to speak up.

"How long have you known?" Pyrrha lifted a curious eyebrow.

"About a year and a half now." Jaune sighed, watching the redhead visibly wince.

"That long?"

"I'm sorry." Jaune buried his face in his hands. "I thought that if I just ignored it then it'd somehow go away. I'm just so damn selfish."

She watched as he clenched his fists and grit his teeth, his brows furrowing in anger for himself. Pyrrha reached out and placed a hand on his own.

"You aren't selfish, Jaune." She smiled. "One action doesn't define who you are so please don't kill yourself over it. I'll be alright."

"Pyrrha, I don't need you to defend my fuck-ups." He teared up, a pit of self-hatred beginning to bubble in his stomach. "I've been a terrible friend lately, and I'm so sorry that I hurt you. I'm sorry that I was such a coward, I'm sorry I put my feelings over yours, and I'm sorry that I don't return them."

Pyrrha saw the hatred, the sadness, and the fury in his eyes, and she began to tear up herself when she'd realize that all those negative emotions were only directed towards one person; himself.

"Jaune, I..." She was at a loss for words, her own little pot of self-doubt beginning to brew. She took a deep breath, pushing it away. "I love you."

Jaune's eyes widened.

"Pyrrha..."

"Shut up." She pressed a finger to his lips, her breathing beginning to quicken. "Since day one you've been my friend, you were the first guy to see me as a real person and not some glorified idol. You're kindhearted, selfless, and you're impossibly oblivious. I've always held you very close to my heart, but you're my friend first, and you always will be. Yes Jaune, I love you, but I also love you as a friend, and I'm okay with that."

"Are you sure?" Jaune gave her a look of genuine concern.

"Y-yeah." She blushed slightly. "I'm sure."

"I'm sorry." He sighed.

"You apologize way too much for things that aren't your fault, Jaune. I thought that **I** had a bad habit of that." She muttered the last bit to herself, though she was sure Jaune had heard.

"I know." He sighed.

"Come on, let's go inside, I can only take so much cold." She smiled.

Jaune smiled in return, albeit very weakly.

"Alright Pyrrha." He nodded. "You down for a round or two of Mortal Kombatants?"

"I'd like that." She nodded in return as they headed in.

**First and foremost, let me just say that I'm really sorry for taking so long to get this out, life has been hitting me like a truck lately and it's been hard to keep focused on this. I also feel like I've pulled a classic RWBY move and dug myself into a bit of a hole with this, but I think I can pull out of it. As always, I hope you enjoyed and I do encourage you to leave some feedback. Criticism, as long as it's constructive, is always a plus.**


	9. Chapter IX

**I'm s****orry for disappearing, I've been super stressed lately and haven't had much motivation to do anything. I do hope you enjoy this chapter, and as always, criticism means the world to me so don't be afraid to take a few jabs at my awful writing. **

Blake sat cross-legged on the floor, a peaceful expression on her features. This was likely due to the fact that all her teammates had turned in for the night and she finally had some quiet time to herself. She'd be leaving with Jaune when the morning came around, and despite finishing her light packing, she still found herself unable to sleep. Hence why she was sitting on the floor, mentally banging the back of her head into the wall behind her.

"Ugh..." She groaned a little louder than she'd intended.

"You alright, Blake?" Yang shifted in bed, turning aroud to face her.

"Fine." She nodded with a deep breath.

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm fine." She insisted.

Yang sighed and hopped out of bed, landing quietly next to her.

"Come on kit-kat, talk to me." She smiled.

There was a moment of silence before Blake smiled back, shaking her head dismissively.

"Just feeling restless I suppose. I'm headed out for the break." She nodded.

"I thought you said you were staying here?"

"Oh, well..." She blushed slightly. "Plans change I suppose, I'm going with Jaune."

Blake flinched slightly, expecting a barrage of teasing to be flung her way. However, none of such came.

"That's cool, I hope you two have fun." She offered a smile. "Just don't get into too much trouble, yeah?"

"Yeah..." She nodded. "I... I'm gonna go get some air."

"It's past curfew Blake."

"I'm just going up to the roof, I won't be gone long."

"Alright." Yang sighed.

Blake stood up and opened the door, shutting it gently behind her as she made her way to the roof. She was immediately met with the cold as she stepped out into the air, shivering slightly. However, the frigid breeze didn't bother her too much. She leaned up against the wall and slid into a sitting position, pulling her scroll from her pocket.

_Hey, you up?_ She hesitantly messaged Jaune.

Blake waited a few moments before seeing that he'd started typing.

_I am now :b_

_Sorry._

Her fingers trembled in the cold.

_It's okay, whatcha doin?_

_On the rooftop, can't sleep._

_Need me to come up???_

_No, it's okay. You can go back to sleep._

_I'll be there in a moment ;3_

She rolled her eyes with a light smirk before beginning to type once more.

_You sure?_

_Of course! 3_

Blake powered her scroll off and slid it back into her pocket, sighing contentedly as she leaned her head against the wall of the rooftop entrance behind her. Her cat ears perked up as they picked up quick footsteps coming up the stairs, followed by the door opening and closing gently. Jaune came around to her side of the wall and sat himself beside her.

"Hey." He grinned cheerfully, leaning against her shoulder.

What Blake had originally intended to be a hum came out as a throaty pur, her eyes widening slightly as she blushed.

"Did you just pur?" Jaune smirked.

"Shut up." She punched him in the arm harder than she'd meant to.

"Ow!" He winced.

"Sorry." She brushed her fingers against where she'd hit him.

"It's alright." He wrapped that arm around her. "You don't have to be ashamed of yourself around me Blake."

"S-sorry." She repeated.

"**Blake.**" Jaune smirked.

"Ah..." She glanced away.

Jaune rolled his eyes playfully and stood up, reaching his hand out to her. She took it with slight confusion and pulled herself up.

"It's a beautiful night, dance with me?" Jaune laced his fingers with hers, swaying from left to right.

She swayed along, dancing to the tune of a silent symphony that played in each step they took.

"I..." Jaune started, suddenly unsure of what he meant to say.

Blake stood on her toes and gripped onto his shirt, pulling herself to his height before gently pressing her lips to his.

"Mmm..." The blonde hummed, his hands encircling her waist.

His deceptively rough fingers gripped at her lower back as she found her own hand trailing down his chest. She then pulled away, her lips parting as they left Jaune's own.

"That was nice." Jaune smiled. "One more?"

"Nope." She shook her head.

"Meanie."

"Deal with it."

"No." He smirked and kissed her, a smile forming on her lips at the chaste display of affection.

"Can you stay with me tonight?" Blake whispered as he pulled away.

"Huh?" He blushed.

"Sorry, that was strange of me to ask."

"N-no, I'm okay with it, I just don't know how your team would feel about that."

"They're all asleep and..." She looked away. "You ease my mind when you're around, I might be able to get some sleep myself."

"Alright." He held her hand gently. "Do you wanna head back now?"

"Yeah." She nodded.

The short walk back downstairs was rather silent, as was a lot of their time together. Jaune walked close beside her, his fingers interlocked with her own. Blake gently opened the door to her dorm and Jaune hesitantly followed her inside.

"I'm gonna get some pajamas on, you can go ahead and lay down if you want."

"Sounds good." He nodded, sitting down on her bed.

"Thank you, Jaune." Blake stroked his cheek. "I know this must be awkward for you so I really appreciate that you're doing this for me."

"Of course, Blake."

She smiled and turned away into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. Jaune sighed and buried his face in his palms, a burning blush on his features.

"Jaune." A voice pulled him out of his odd state of thought.

His head shot up, seeing Yang slowly rise out of bed and walk over to him.

"Wait, I can explain..." He put his hands up as a defensive mechanism.

"I'm not Weiss, you don't need to justify yourself to me." She dismissed his concern. "I heard you talking to Blake, so I assume you're here on her behalf?"

"Y-yeah." He nodded.

"Thank you." She patted his shoulder. "She can be hard to reach out to sometimes, so I'm happy she has someone she can rely on."

"She doesn't talk to you?"

"Not often, no." Yang shook her head.

"Oh..."

"Speaking of, are you two official yet?"

"You know?"

"It's pretty obvious."

"Ah, I suppose so, though I don't think we've told anyone yet, unless she has."

"Doubt it." Yang shook her head. "Good luck Jaune, but just know that if you hurt her I'll break you."

"I'd never hurt her, Yang."

"Good." She offered him a smile.

The bathroom door swung open gently, and Blake's eyes widened at the sight before her.

"I-I can explain."

"Blake." She chuckled. "Already cleared it up with Jaune."

"Oh..." She blushed. "You know?"

"Yeah, but Jaune didn't tell me." She stood up, clearing her throat. "I'm going back to bed, if I hear any moaning while I'm trying to sleep I'm gonna be mad."

"**Yang!**" Blake nearly shouted, patting Jaune's shoulder to calm down his wild blush.

"Sorry, couldn't help myself." She cackled. "In case I'm not awake when you leave, I do hope you enjoy the break."

"Thanks, I'll try." The faunus nodded gently.

"Night, Blake, you too Jaune."

"G'night Yang." She said back, though Jaune simply nodded with a nervous smile.

It didn't take long for the blonde to fall asleep cuddled up against Blake, and in turn, she fell asleep as well, just as she'd hoped.

**((Many apologies, it would seem the chapter decided to break as I was uploading it and just cut out a few words as well as my little authors note at the end. I'm so sorry for this inconvenience.))**

**I think the main problem with this fic is the lack of plot, I hope you can still enjoy it even though at this point it's kinda just senseless romance, there's still a little left to this so stay tuned. I do learn from my mistakes however, and have my second fic in the works for you guys. Take care.**


	10. IMPORTANT MESSAGE

**Hello readers, I'm so happy that you guys like this story enough to get to nearly 400 followers and 300 favorites! Honestly when I posted this I didn't think it would get the love that it got, with almost 40,000 views, it's been quite the surreal experience for me. However, I was away for a while, during that time I found it hard to keep up with this fic. When I came back I had to reread it to regain my bearings, and I came upon a realization... I was _not _happy with it's quality. It's not terrible by any means, at least I don't think so, however, it's not memorable and there's almost no plot. It's just plotless romance. Which I assume isn't the worst thing in the world, but I don't want that for this story. I want you, my wonderful audience, to read something that you can remember, that you can look back on and say "Hey! That's pretty good!" It's what you deserve and I haven't been giving you that. So I'm officially announcing the discontinuance of this story.**

**I know that sounds upsetting but I'm not giving up on it, Cold Days Are Better Spent Together will be left here for you to read if you feel the need. However, I am rewriting this story as "Between Two Dorms." The premise will remain the same, it's cold as balls outside so stay indoors until of course your heaters break and you're forced to buy new ones. However, it will also be receiving a plot. Don't fret, this doesn't mean it's gonna be some edgy story line where the cause of this horrible weather is actually a bunch of rage demons bent on sending the world into an eternal winter... Or ghostly horse creatures that feed off of hatred and malice, bringing blizzards and harsh freezing climates in their wake, which of whom threaten to destroy existence as we know it. _*cough* not a reference... *cough*_**

**In fact, the plot is gonna be more centered on the aspects of nature itself. I don't want to reveal too much as I do want you be surprised, but know that I am super excited to write this for you guys, and I hope that you aren't too mad at me for my decision. I just want to say that this isn't a decision I made on a whim, and have been thinking about it for almost three weeks now, and finally came to my answer. I hope you enjoyed this story, it had an alright run, and I hope that I can give you what you deserve. A memorable experience.**

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**The first chapter of Between Two Dorms will hopefully be released on Monday at 12 PM MDT (July 13th.) ****I'll update you if plans change. **

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**Please, stay kind, stay true, and stay passionate!**

**With love and care, Allister Crow.**


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